Nemadi language
Encyclopedia
The Nemadi are small hunting tribe of eastern Mauritania
. Their language is according to some sources a dialect of Hassaniyya, according to other a mixture of Zenaga, Azer and Hassaniyya. The name "Nemadi" itself appears to come from Azer, where it means "master of dogs".
According to Robert Arnaud (1906), "around Tichit
the Nemadi employ a dialect called Azeïr which is close to Soninke
." Chudeau (1913), perhaps following him, adds that "We have little information on their language, which M. Delafosse
classifies provisionally with Soninké." However, Brosset (1932) says that they speak Hassaniyya, and that "their special vocabulary does not consist of vocables different from Hassaniyya, but of technical terms which need has forced them to create, which are forged from Arabic
, Zenaga, and maybe Azer
."
Ech Chinguetti's Kitab El Wasit says that "The Nmadi speak the dialect common to all the Moors
(i.e. Hassaniyya). However, they do not pronounce the final m of the affixed second person plural pronoun, so they say: as-Salam alayku ("peace be upon you") for alaikum, and kayfa haluku ("how are you?") for halukum."
Laforgue claims that they speak "Zenati
", i.e. Berber
, a claim seen by Hermans as "very improbable".
According to Gerteiny (1967), they speak "their own dialect, probably a mixture of Azêr, Zenaga, and Hassaniyya, called Ikôku by the Moors. They express themselves in brief idiomatic phrases, and the language has neither singular nor plural."
The Ethnologue
's former description of their language appears to be based solely on this source; however, its latest edition says that "The 'Nemadi' (Ikoku) are an ethnic group of 200 (1967) that speak Hassaniyya, but they have special morphemes for dogs, hunting, and houses".http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=mey
Hermans' opinion is that "the language spoken by the Nemadi in general (there may remain some Azer-speaking Nemadi) is Hassaniyya. But one must recognize certain peculiarities", including the lack of plural, certain argot
-like expressions (cf. Fondacci), and the technical terms (cf. Brosset, Fondacci, Gabus.)
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
. Their language is according to some sources a dialect of Hassaniyya, according to other a mixture of Zenaga, Azer and Hassaniyya. The name "Nemadi" itself appears to come from Azer, where it means "master of dogs".
According to Robert Arnaud (1906), "around Tichit
Tichit
Tichit is a partly abandoned village at the foot of the Tagant Plateau in central southern Mauritania that is known for its vernacular architecture...
the Nemadi employ a dialect called Azeïr which is close to Soninke
Soninke language
The Soninke language is a Mande language spoken by the Soninke people of West Africa. The language has an estimated 1,096,795 speakers, primarily located in Mali, and also in Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Mauritania, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea and Ghana...
." Chudeau (1913), perhaps following him, adds that "We have little information on their language, which M. Delafosse
Maurice Delafosse
Maurice Delafosse was a French ethnographer and colonial official who also worked in the field of the languages of Africa...
classifies provisionally with Soninké." However, Brosset (1932) says that they speak Hassaniyya, and that "their special vocabulary does not consist of vocables different from Hassaniyya, but of technical terms which need has forced them to create, which are forged from Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, Zenaga, and maybe Azer
Soninke language
The Soninke language is a Mande language spoken by the Soninke people of West Africa. The language has an estimated 1,096,795 speakers, primarily located in Mali, and also in Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Mauritania, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea and Ghana...
."
Ech Chinguetti's Kitab El Wasit says that "The Nmadi speak the dialect common to all the Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
(i.e. Hassaniyya). However, they do not pronounce the final m of the affixed second person plural pronoun, so they say: as-Salam alayku ("peace be upon you") for alaikum, and kayfa haluku ("how are you?") for halukum."
Laforgue claims that they speak "Zenati
Zenati languages
The Zenati languages, named after the medieval Zenata tribe, are a subgroup of the Northern Berber language family, spoken in North Africa, proposed in Destaing They are distributed across the central Maghreb, from northeastern Morocco to just west of Algiers, and the northern Sahara, from...
", i.e. Berber
Berber languages
The Berber languages are a family of languages indigenous to North Africa, spoken from Siwa Oasis in Egypt to Morocco , and south to the countries of the Sahara Desert...
, a claim seen by Hermans as "very improbable".
According to Gerteiny (1967), they speak "their own dialect, probably a mixture of Azêr, Zenaga, and Hassaniyya, called Ikôku by the Moors. They express themselves in brief idiomatic phrases, and the language has neither singular nor plural."
The Ethnologue
Ethnologue
Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christian linguistic service organization, which studies lesser-known languages, to provide the speakers with Bibles in their native language and support their efforts in language development.The Ethnologue...
's former description of their language appears to be based solely on this source; however, its latest edition says that "The 'Nemadi' (Ikoku) are an ethnic group of 200 (1967) that speak Hassaniyya, but they have special morphemes for dogs, hunting, and houses".http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=mey
Hermans' opinion is that "the language spoken by the Nemadi in general (there may remain some Azer-speaking Nemadi) is Hassaniyya. But one must recognize certain peculiarities", including the lack of plural, certain argot
Argot
An Argot is a secret language used by various groups—including, but not limited to, thieves and other criminals—to prevent outsiders from understanding their conversations. The term argot is also used to refer to the informal specialized vocabulary from a particular field of study, hobby, job,...
-like expressions (cf. Fondacci), and the technical terms (cf. Brosset, Fondacci, Gabus.)